My Curious and Jocular Heroes: Tales and Tale-Spinners from Appalachia by Loyal Jones

Many today consider Loyal Jones to be the progenitor of Appalachian Studies, and with good reason, as he did establish the very first academic Appalachian Center at Berea College back in 1970.  However, in this book, Jones illuminates the stories of four gentlemen he considers his mentors and predecessors in the field. Cratis Williams  (1911-1985) is the best known of the four, and widely considered the father of Appalachian Studies. He was a native of Lawrence County, Kentucky, and rose to become Acting Chancellor of Appalachian State University.  The graduate school there is now named for him. His doctoral dissertation from New York University, “The Southern Mountaineer in Fact and Fiction,” is a 1,661 page document that set the tone for subsequent studies. Leonard Roberts  (1912-1983) was a unique Appalachian folklorist who grew up in the Appalachian folk culture – in Floyd County, Kentucky – and later achieved a doctorate from the University of Kentucky in the field.  His many book